


A Study in Sensation

by BarPurple



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: A Monthly Rumbelling, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Professor!Belle, Professor!Gold, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-05
Updated: 2017-09-05
Packaged: 2018-12-24 08:08:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12008583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BarPurple/pseuds/BarPurple
Summary: Judging the annual Storybrooke College Short Film Festival was not Gold’s idea of fun, but he wasn’t going to argue with the outcome.





	A Study in Sensation

Gold raked his hands through his hair and groaned; “If we have to watch one more thing with a dragon in I am going to fail every student who entered on principle.”

A warm chuckle from his left roused him from his misery. He gave a sigh of appreciation at the cup of tea offered by his fellow sufferer in this misery. Belle had been roped into judging the entries for Storybrooke College’s Short Film Competition for the same reason he had, nobody else on the faculty wanted to do it. Technically Jones and Vincent, who taught Media Studies and Drama respectively should be doing this, by Mal was on sabbatical for the term and Jones had weaselled out of it somehow, the annoying git.

Belle settled herself on the seat next to him and performed the tricky move of kicking off her high heels while taking a sip of tea. She was small enough to curl into the seat of the couch in his office. At least one of them was comfortable; Gold’s ankle was twinging already even though he had it propped up on the coffee table, it would be hell by the time they were finished. 

“Only two more to watch.”

“But I don’t want to.”

His whine provoked her to chuckle again, but didn’t stop her pressing play on the next film. The opening thirty seconds of heavy metal music were enough to set Gold’s teeth on edge. The screen started strobing adding to the pain as slowly a figure was revealed. Beside him Belle yelped and covered her face with her notes. The remote control went flying from her hand and somehow Gold managed to snag it from the air and hit stop. The screen froze on the image of a leering clown.

“Keep your eyes covered! Hang on!”

Gold swore under his breath as he jabbed at the buttons until the screen went blank.

“Okay, all clear.”

Belle slowly emerged from behind her notes and risked a glance at the TV screen which was now showing nothing more that the DVD logo bouncing merrily from corner to corner. She blew out a slow, shaky breath.

“Sorry about that. I can’t stand clowns.”

Gold plucked his red pen from the breast pocket of his jacket and slashed the word ‘fail’ across the entry form from this particular film. Belle made a small sound of protest, her kind and generous nature quickly recovering after her scare, but Gold shook his head. 

“Nope. They deserve it. They didn’t fill out the warnings section. There are clearly boxes to check for strobing lights, and clowns.”

He supposed he could watch the film on his own and judge it himself, but he was a stickler for paperwork and he was relying heavily on Belle to fairly assess the films as this was closer to her area of expertise as a Literature teacher. He was a Maths teacher, what the bloody hell did he know about short films?

He gave her a grin; “Only one more left now.”

She looked almost as pleased as he did as she leaned forward and ejected the failed DVD. 

“I suppose I should have been ready for a Pennywise a like with a title like Unwise Dollars.”

Gold snorted and flipped to the final entry, his eyes rolled as he read the title; “A Study in Sensation? A Sherlock tribute maybe?”

“Let’s find out.”

The opening strains of blues were a hell of an improvement on the last sound track, but for a moment Gold couldn’t work out what he was looking at. He tilted his head and suddenly realised that it was a close up of a hand running over a silky looking fabric. He had to give this student credit the image was making him think of the texture of fine sheets. His eyes nearly fell out of his head as the hand moved slowly from the sheets to skin. The close up shot made it almost impossible to tell where on the body the hand was, but the effect was sensual.

He cleared his throat; “Is this pornography?”

“No nipples, or sex organs, so I’d guess erotica?”

Belle sounded more throaty that usual. The film was clearly having an effect on her as well. Gold shifted in his seat and froze as he realised he was having a physical response to the images on screen. Bloody hells, this was not good for so many reasons, firstly students had made this film and while they were all over eighteen it still made him a dirty old man; secondly, and more pressingly at the moment, one of his female colleagues was sat scant inches from him. The female colleague he had harboured a secret crush on for years. He rearranged the notes on his lap hoping to cover his shame until he could get himself under control. 

The thought of Dean Mills berating him for sexual harassment almost killed his inopportune boner dead, until he heard the soft gasp from Belle. The sinful sound combined with the visual of a female hand twisting through locks of hair was enough to send more blood rushing south. He bit his lip hard and focused on objectively judging the quality of the film. The music was building in time with a sense of urgency to the movements; that was nicely done and showed good editing skills. Body parts were more easily identifiable, but the continuing sensitivity of the filming kept everything at the level of high art rather than shock value smut. 

He’d just successfully calmed his traitorous anatomy when the film showed a lip being nibbled between teeth and the long expanse of an arched neck. Beside him Belle squirmed and brushed her knee along the side of his thigh. He failed at holding back an agonized whimper. He still had the bloody remote control in his hand; he could turn off this film and make his apologies to Belle right now. He lifted the remote to point it at the DVD player only to be stopped by Belle’s hand wrapping softly around his.

“Please?”

He’d give her the moon on a stick to hear that sultry tone in her voice again. He managed a shaky nod which he wasn’t sure she saw since her eyes were still glued to the screen and lowered his hand. Belle’s fingers stayed wrapped around his, a torturous delight as the film reached its climax.

Oh god, he really shouldn’t have thought that particular C word while Belle was holding his hand.

The lovers on-screen, because that is surely what they were, reached the most tasteful heights of bliss Gold had, in his limited viewings of porn, ever witnessed. The music slowed and faded as hands intertwined in the comfort of post-orgasmic bliss. Gold was certain he’d bitten through his bottom lip as the screen faded to black. He swallowed hard and turned to face Belle to make his apology. It took him a moment to dare look up from behind the curtain of his hair, and when he did he found himself looking at an angel, an aroused angel in fact.

Belle’s face was flushed and her chest was heaving as she took in panting breaths.

“Oh sod it.”

She lunged forward stopping an inch from his face.

“Is this alright?”

He felt her words fan across his face and he couldn’t think of anything more all right. 

“Yes.”

She closed the last gap between their lips and Gold’s world melted down to nothing more than the sensation of her kiss. 

They broke apart before tongues came into play and shared a smile. Belle’s fingers had ended up in his hair and his hand was cupping her face.

“I waited so long to do that.”

“Why did you wait?”

Gold frowned; “I’ve no idea.”

Belle chuckled again; “I think we have a winner.”

“I’d say so, but I’m not going to tell the Dean why I liked this film so much.”

Quiet fell for a moment, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t a hell of a lot of non-verbal communication going on between the two of them. Gold took the plunge and gave voice to at least one of the ideas bouncing unspoken between them.

“Can I take you to dinner tonight?”

“No. Come to my house I’ll cook for us.”

He’d almost been ready to panic when she’d said no, but now he couldn’t keep the grin from his face.

“Okay. I’ll bring dessert.”

Belle licked her lips and pointedly dragged her eyes over his body.

“Damn right you will.”

Gold’s jaw dropped as she pushed away to retrieve the DVD and gave him a saucy wink. Asking if she preferred chocolate cake or apple pie seemed like a moot point, but he was going to get something anyway. He shook away the thought of where he might end up eating said dessert from as the sound of students thundering along the corridor reminded him there was still a class to teach today.

Belle bounced back to lean over him and press a lingering kiss to his lips before she rushed toward the door of his office.

“See you tonight at seven?”

“Oh yes, sweetheart.”

She giggled, “Erm you might want to take a moment before you head to class.”

As she disappeared out of the door Gold looked down at his crotch.

“Oh bloody hell.”


End file.
